Numbers: Tebow to Jets not as bad as you think

OK, Jets fans, take a deep breath. Let's all just relax and talk this out.

Judging by the comments flooding websites and talk radio, the Jets' trade for quarterback Tim Tebow is the rotting cherry on top of the melted ice cream sundae that was the team's 2011 season.

But yet, we at the Numbers Game don't think it's that bad.

For all his faults, Tebow can truly help a football team win games. We're not going to rehash the stunning comebacks that have come to define the Tebow narrative. We're going to delve into the numbers to show that he's more than a magazine cover, more than a trending topic on Twitter and maybe more than just an average football player.

Before we even get into his passing game, the bottom line is, Tebow can run:

- He averaged 5.4 rushing yards per attempt in 2011, tied with Darren McFadden, DeAngelo Williams, Ben Tate and Jonathan Stewart for fourth best in the NFL.

- This was no small sample size fluke either. Tebow had 122 attempts last season. McFadden had 113, Williams had 155, Tate had 175 and Stewart had 142.

- No Jet  except Shonn Greene (253) had more than 75 rushing attempts.

- Greene rushed for 1,054 yards in 2011, LaDainian Tomlinson was second on the Jets with 280 yards. Tebow more than doubled that (660 yards) and would immediately become their second leading rusher given his 2011 stats.

- Tebow scored six rushing touchdowns, the same amount Greene and Mark Sanchez each had in 2011.

- Tebow is not just some goal line rusher, either. For instance, Sanchez's six touchdowns came on runs of 1, 5, 2, 1, 3 and 1 yards. Tebow only had two touchdown runs of less than 5 yards. He had two over 10 yards, including a 20-yarder to beat the Jets on Nov. 17.

- Tebow's longest rush last season -- 32 yards -- was longer than any Jet last season, including Greene, who topped the team with a long of 31 yards.

But Tebow can be useful in the passing game, too. Yes, he has a low completion percentage (46.5 in 2011), but that's not the end-all be-all here. Compare his 2011 numbers to that of Sanchez:

- Both Tebow and Sanchez posted an identical yards-per-attempt number last season: 6.4.

- Tebow averaged 13.7 yards per completion, Sanchez averaged 11.3.

- Sanchez's final numbers look superior in total yards: he beats Tebow 3,474 to 1,729. But while Sanchez had 543 attempts over a full 16 games, Tebow attempted just 271 passes and only started 11 games.

Bottom line: don't buy into the hype, but definitely buy into the player.

Cody Derespina's “The Numbers Game” is a Newsday app-only exclusive.